Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)

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Godzilla films
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
Godzilla Final Wars
Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
The Japanese poster for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS
Alternate titles
Flagicon Japan.png Godzilla × Mothra × Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
See alternate titles
Directed by Masaaki Tezuka
Producer Shogo Tomiyama
Written by Masaaki Tezuka, Masahiro Yokotani
Music by Michiru Oshima
Special
effects by
Eiichi Asada
Production company Toho Pictures
Distributor TohoJP, TriStar PicturesUS
Rating PGUS
Box office ¥1.3 billion[1]
Running time 91 minutes
(1 hour, 31 minutes)
Aspect ratio 2.35:1
Rate this film!
4.15
(88 votes)

A peak giant monster battle (大怪獣頂上決戦)
Please! Return Godzilla's bones to the ocean.
(お願いです!ゴジラの骨を海に返してください。)
„ 

— Tagline

A guardian deity who loves the Earth (地球を愛する守護神)
The King of Monsters, who hates mankind (人類を憎むザ・キング・オブ・モンスター)
A super battle robot boasted by humanity (人類が誇るスーパー戦闘ロボット)
Three giant monsters, one violent final battle!!
(3大怪獣、激烈のラストバトル!!)
„ 

— Tagline

Terror comes in threes!
„ 

— American home video tagline

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ 東京SOS,   Gojira, Mosura, Mekagojira: Tōkyō Esu Ō Esu, lit. "Godzilla × Mothra × Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS") is a 2003 tokusatsu kaiju film directed by Masaaki Tezuka and written by Tezuka with Masahiro Yokotani, with special effects by Eiichi Asada. Produced by Toho Pictures, it is the 27th mainline installment in the Godzilla series and the 28th Godzilla film overall, as well as the fifth in the Millennium series. It stars Noboru Kaneko, Miho Yoshioka, Mitsuki Koga, Chihiro Otsuka, Masami Nagasawa, Tatsuki Omori, Koichi Ueda, Yumiko Shaku, Akira Nakao, and Hiroshi Koizumi. The film was released to Japanese theaters by Toho on December 13, 2003.[2] Columbia TriStar Home Video released the film on DVD in the United States in 2004.

A direct sequel to Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Tokyo SOS is the only entry in the Millennium series to be a sequel to a prior film in that series. In 2004, one year after Kiryu's battle against Godzilla, the Shobijin appear to request that the first Godzilla's bones be returned to the ocean, as their use in Kiryu violates the natural order. The government is hesitant to scrap the project lest Godzilla return, which comes to pass as the King of the Monsters makes landfall in Tokyo once more. Mothra arrives to intercept him, and the government is left with no choice but to launch Kiryu into the battle as well.

Tokyo SOS was followed by the final Millennium Godzilla film, Godzilla Final Wars, in 2004.

Plot

In 2004, one year after the epic battle between Godzilla and Kiryu, Mothra's Shobijin appear to Shinichi Chujo, a scientist who helped to rescue them from Clark Nelson back in 1961. They inform him that it was wrong for the Japanese government to create a weapon using the first Godzilla's bones, and that they must be returned to the ocean or else Mothra will be forced to declare war against humanity. They assure Chujo that if the first Godzilla's bones are returned to the ocean, then Mothra will defend Japan from the current Godzilla in place of Kiryu. The Shobijin then depart with Mothra. Meanwhile, repairs on Kiryu are nearing completion, and the cyborg will soon be ready to face Godzilla once again should the monster return. The original members of the Kiryu Squad are being sent to the United States for further training, and a ceremony for them is being held by the AMF. During the ceremony, Yoshito Chujo, Shinichi Chujo's nephew, notices Kiryu's former pilot Akane Yashiro walk out of the room and into Kiryu's hangar. Yoshito follows Akane and starts a conversation with her. Akane remarks that she feels sorry for Kiryu, as she senses that it does not want to fight Godzilla. Akane tells Yoshito to take good care of Kiryu, then leaves.

Some time later, the carcass of a gigantic turtle washes ashore in Japan. The creature is identified as a Megalo matamata, or "Kamoebas," a giant species of turtle discovered on Sergio Island in 1970, and the first specimen spotted since one was discovered on Guam in 1987. The creature has large claw marks in its neck, leading the AMF to conclude it was killed by Godzilla. As the AMF rushes to complete Kiryu in preparation for Godzilla's arrival, Chujo meets with the Prime Minister, Hayato Igarashi, telling him to scrap the Kiryu project as per the Shobijin's warning. Igarashi acknowledges Chujo's concerns, but states that too much has been invested into the Kiryu project to allow it to be scrapped now. He swears that as soon as Kiryu successfully kills Godzilla, he will have the project ended, but until then Kiryu is Japan's only defense against Godzilla.

Godzilla soon surfaces in Tokyo Bay, easily making his way through the JSDF's defenses and approaching the hangar containing Kiryu. As Tokyo is evacuated and Kiryu is prepared for launch, Chujo's grandson Shun creates a giant version of Mothra's symbol using desks from a school, inspired by Chujo and his friends painting the symbol on an airport runway back in 1961 to attract Mothra. Sure enough, Mothra arrives in Tokyo and attacks Godzilla. Mothra is able to hold her own against the behemoth for a time, but Godzilla eventually overpowers her. Left with no choice, Igarashi orders Kiryu to be launched into battle against Godzilla. Godzilla and Kiryu do battle once again, only for Godzilla to knock the cyborg out of commission with his atomic breath. On Himago Island, two Mothra larvae hatch from an egg and swim to Tokyo to aid their mother against Godzilla. When Godzilla spots the larvae, he fires his atomic breath at them, only for their mother to fly in front of the blast and sacrifice her life to save them. Heartbroken, the larvae battle Godzilla while Yoshito enters the damaged Kiryu and attempts to repair it manually. Yoshito gets Kiryu back up and running, but finds himself trapped inside of the cyborg. Rather than compromise the mission, Yoshito lies and says he is safe and allows Kiryu to re-enter the fray. Kiryu engages Godzilla again near the National Diet Building, and manages to pierce the chest wound Godzilla sustained a year before with its drill hand. Kiryu rotates the drill and severely wounds Godzilla, then fires its Hyper Maser Beams into the open wound, causing Godzilla to roar in agony. Mothra's larvae then cover Godzilla in silken webbing, leaving him immobile on the ground. The AMF orders Kiryu to finish Godzilla once and for all, but the first Godzilla's soul is awakened again and takes control of Kiryu. Rather than kill another member of its kind, Kiryu chooses to carry the defeated Godzilla out to sea and sink with him into the Japan Trench. As Kiryu and Godzilla fly over the ocean, several AC-3 White Heron jets fly next to Kiryu to try and rescue Yoshito, whom the AMF has just learned is trapped inside. Kiryu opens a trap door on its body and allows Yoshito to escape and be rescued by one of the planes, displaying a message reading "Sayonara Yoshito" on a computer screen. Yoshito sadly replies "Sayonara, Kiryu" and watches as Kiryu plunges into the ocean with Godzilla. Both monsters sink into the trench until all contact is lost. Igarashi declares this a "hollow victory," while the Shobijin are content that the spirit of the first Godzilla can once again rest in peace as they return to Infant Island with the larvae.

In an AMF laboratory, several cryogenic tanks are holding the DNA of various other kaiju, including the original Godzilla and the Kamoebas specimen from 1987.

Staff

Main article: Godzilla: Tokyo SOS/Credits.

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Noboru Kaneko   as   Yoshito Chujo, AMF Kiryu mechanic
  • Miho Yoshioka   as   Azusa Kisaragi, AC-3 White Heron Unit 2 pilot
  • Mitsuki Koga   as   Kyosuke Akiba, Kiryu operator
  • Chihiro Otsuka   as   Hio, Shobijin
  • Masami Nagasawa   as   Mana, Shobijin
  • Tatsuki Omori   as   Shun Chujo
  • Junichi Mizuno   as   Lieutenant Kenji Sekine
  • Yusuke Tomoi   as   Lieutenant Susumu Hayama
  • Koh Takasugi   as   Lieutenant Togashi, Kiryu Squad Commander
  • Takeshi Masu   as   Squad Member Nikaido
  • Toru Masuoka   as   Squad Leader Kanzaki
  • Naomasa Musaka   as   Goro Kanno, low temperature physicist
  • Koji Shimizu   as   Isao Akiba, Director General of the Defense Agency
  • Koichi Ueda   as   Dobashi, Director General of the Defense Agency
  • Yumiko Shaku   as   Lieutenant Akane Yashiro
  • Noriko Watanabe   as   Shun's mother
  • Akira Nakao   as   Prime Minister Hayato Igarashi
  • Hiroshi Koizumi   as   Shinichi Chujo
  • Tatsuo Yamada   as   Member of the Defense Agency Internal Bureau
  • Keiko Iiboshi   as   Wide show commentator (Kiryu advocate)
  • Toru Minegishi   as   Wide show commentator (Kiryu opponent)
  • Kappa Hayashida   as   News helicopter cameraman
  • Akiyuki Koike   as   JSDF personnel
  • Toshiki Miyawaki   as   Escort ship captain
  • Takao Miyashita   as   Escort crew member
  • Yoshimi Tomihada   as   JSDF personnel
  • Taiki Kobayashi   as   Reporter
  • Jun Aoki   as   Horii, AC-3 White Heron Unit 1 pilot
  • Masaki Iizumi   as   Special Analysis Corps communication engineer
  • Akane Ashihara   as   Reporter
  • Norihito Miyake   as   Hamada, AC-3 White Heron Unit 4 pilot
  • Ako Tsuzuki   as   Special Analysis Corps communication engineer
  • Maroshi Tamura   as   Reporter
  • Satoshi Nakae   as   Takegawa, AC-3 White Heron Unit 4 operator
  • Hayato Matsuzaki   as   Special Analysis Corps communication engineer
  • Shunya Tajima   as   Patrol aircraft officer
  • Hiroyasu Takagi   as   F-15 pilot
  • Keishi Emi   as   Kiryu Command Center communication engineer
  • Katsumi Ide   as   NWK announcer
  • Jefferey Waters   as   American submarine captain
  • Jack Woodyard   as   American submarine sonar officer
  • Steve Ryan   as   American submarine sonar officer
  • Paul Kaminski   as   American military monitoring room staff member
  • David Pullman   as   American military monitoring room staff member
  • Norman England   as   American military monitoring room staff member
  • Eisaku Shindo   as   JSDF personnel at Tokyo Tower
  • Shiro Namiki   as   Ministry of Education official
  • Takeyuki Yue   as   Type-3 Kiryu Command Center correspondent

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Shinichiro Hongo   as   Tadokoro, Special SDF mechanic
  • Junichi Uchiura   as   Akatsuka, Special SDF mechanic
  • Kenji Ezure   as   Member of the Defense Agency Internal Bureau
  • Sachiko Hattori   as   Chiba, Special SDF mechanic
  • Masahiko Sakata   as   Special Analysis Corps communication officer
  • Ren Akagawa   as   Special staff vice president
  • Kotaro Endo   as   Mechanic
  • Masato Ebine   as   Mechanic
  • Akiko Sasaki   as   Mechanic
  • Tomohiro Tanaka   as   Mechanic
  • Takeshi Yokoyama   as   Mechanic
  • Ohisa Fukuda   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Takeshi Otsubo   as   Mechanic
  • Kazumi Onodera   as   Mechanic
  • Kenta Nagatomo   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Nobuyoshi Kato   as   Mechanic
  • Takayuki Hirasawa   as   Mechanic
  • Yasushi Furukawa   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Tsutomu Matsuoka   as   Mechanic
  • Hiroaki Igarashi   as   Mechanic
  • Satoshi Motomura   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Tatsuya Yamakawa   as   Mechanic
  • Akihisa Suzuki   as   Mechanic
  • Hiroaki Matsuyama   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Takeitaru Rokussaki   as   Mechanic
  • Shiaki Takashi   as   Mechanic
  • Yoshihiro Sato   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Mitsuru Ogai   as   Mechanic
  • Daisuke Shimazaki   as   Mechanic
  • Yuji Oshida   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Tatsuya Yakeda   as   Mechanic
  • Kota Kawaguchi   as   Mechanic
  • Atsushi Oda   as   Kiryu Squad member
  • Satoshi Asaoka   as   Wide show moderator
  • Hikomaro   as   News helicopter reporter
  • Yuji Abe   as   Reporter (Yokosuka)
  • Yasuo Kurashiki   as   Reporter (Kujukuri coast)
  • Hoei Project
  • Inagawa Motoko Office
  • Gekidan Seinenza
  • Artvision
  • Toshio Yamamoto
  • All Godzilla supporters
  • Masaaki Tezuka   as   Scientist in monster DNA repository (cameo; uncredited)
  • Shogo Tomiyama   as   Refugee (cameo; uncredited)
  • Kentaro Yabuki   as   Man running through Roppongi Hills (uncredited)
  • Tsutomu Kitagawa   as   Godzilla
  • Motokuni Nakagawa   as   Kiryu

Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, vehicles, and races


Gallery

Main article: Godzilla: Tokyo SOS/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Godzilla: Tokyo SOS/Soundtrack.

Alternate titles

Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS logo
  • Godzilla x Mothra x Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (literal Japanese title)
    • Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla: Tokyo SOS (alternate translation)
  • GMMG (abbreviated title)
  • Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (United States)
  • Godzilla: Tokyo in Danger (Godzilla: Tokio en Peligro; Mexico)
  • S.O.S. for Tokyo (S.O.S. dla Tokyo; Poland)

Theatrical releases

View all posters for the film here.

U.S. release

U.S. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. DVD cover

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS was released to DVD in the United States in 2004 by Columbia TriStar Home Video, as part of TriStar's line of releases commemorating Godzilla's 50th anniversary. TriStar included Toho's uncut international version of the film, along with both the English dub and the original Japanese audio track. TriStar's subtitles for the Japanese audio were simply derived from the English dub, in which Kiryu is referred to as "Mecha G." This was reportedly done out of fear that calling the film's Mechagodzilla "Kiryu" would confuse viewers who had not seen the previous film, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, and calling him "Mechagodzilla" would not match the characters' onscreen lip movements. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS was the last new Godzilla film to be distributed by TriStar. Following TriStar's DVD re-release of Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II in 2005, TriStar's parent company, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, solely handled all subsequent home video releases of Godzilla films.

Fathom Events held screenings of Godzilla: Tokyo SOS across the U.S. on March 22, 2023.[4] The film was accompanied by the CG short film Godzilla vs. Gigan Rex, originally released during Godzilla Fest 2022.[5]

Box office

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS opened on December 13th, 2003 on a double feature with the animated film Hamtaro: Ham Ham Grand Prix. In its opening weekend, it was third place at the box office with $1,686,009. Its gross was estimated at $12,000,000, with approximately 1,100,000 admissions.

Reception

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS is generally well-liked by Godzilla fans for its monster action and sometimes respected for being the sole direct sequel of the entirety of the Millennium series.

Video releases

TriStar DVD (2004)[6]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (5.1 Surround), English (5.1 Surround)
  • Special features: Behind-the-scenes featurette (22 minutes), trailers

Sony Blu-ray (2014)[7]

  • Region: A/1
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
  • Special features: Behind-the-scenes featurette (22 minutes) and teaser for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, behind-the-scenes featurette (18 minutes) and three trailers for Godzilla Final Wars
  • Notes: Packaged with Godzilla Final Wars.

Videos

Trailers

Japanese trailer #1
Japanese trailer #2
Japanese teaser
U.S. Fathom Events trailer
U.S. Starz promo

Miscellaneous

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS promotional special

Trivia

  • Godzilla: Tokyo SOS and the previous film, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, are the only films in the Millennium series to share continuity.
  • A Liopleurodon was originally intended to wash up dead on the shore rather than Kamoebas. Toho decided against introducing a new creature just to have it appear dead and chose instead to use an existing kaiju in the role. Toho at first planned to replace the Liopleurodon with Anguirus, but ultimately decided to use the more obscure Kamoebas instead.
  • In the book Godzilla: Tokyo SOS Super Complete Works, there are some drawings and concepts for a "fan fiction" interpretation of extending the Kiryu series. The idea is fairly elaborate, using the DNA sequence from this film's finale and the overall concept of Kiryu to create an army of mechas that include mechanized versions of Baragon, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Varan, Sanda, Gaira, Kamoebas, and Ganimes. These concepts were never intended for an actual film but were more of a "what if" scenario for more ideas from this storyline.[8]
  • The twin Mothra larvae in this film are actually non-identical; one is male and the other is female. The male larva has darker skin and more pronounced tusks and tail spikes compared to the female. This marks the first confirmed instance of a male Mothra appearing in a Godzilla film.
    • Both Mothra larvae were given nicknames during filming. The male larva was nicknamed Taro, while the female was nicknamed Hanako. An episode of the show Oha Suta promoting the film instead gave the male and female larvae the names "Mosu" and "Lara," respectively.
  • Mothra's Shobijin receive individual names in this film. The Shobijin played by Chihiro Otsuka is named Hio and wears a bracelet on her right wrist, while her counterpart played by Masami Nagasawa is named Mana and wears her bracelet on her left wrist. They speak each other's names onscreen as they witness the Mothra larvae hatch, though the English dub instead has them both remark that the larvae are twins. Otsuka and Nagasawa would go on to portray the Shobijin again in the following film, Godzilla Final Wars, although it is set in a different continuity from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS.
  • Despite having a nearly identical design to the suit used in the previous film, a new Godzilla suit was created for this film, the only major difference being a large vertical scar in its chest region.
  • This film contains many references to the Showa films Mothra and Mothra vs. Godzilla. Just as in the latter film, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS features the concept of two Mothra larvae hatching from one egg and battling Godzilla after their mother's death. Also just as in Mothra vs. Godzilla, the two larvae encase Godzilla in a silk cocoon, which aids in his defeat.
    • The character Shinichi Chujo, played once again by Hiroshi Koizumi after over 40 years, is introduced in this film while reading a book that covers his face. This is a reference to how the character was introduced in Mothra. Koizumi also appeared as Chujo in an episode of the TV series The Gransazers which was released at about the same time.
  • This is the last Godzilla film so far that shares continuity with the original Godzilla; all of the following films so far are set in new continuities, only sometimes making vague references to the year 1954.
  • Early teaser trailers for this film utilized stock footage of Mothra from Rebirth of Mothra.
  • Accomplished actor Toru Minegishi, who played Goro Gondo in Godzilla vs. Biollante, makes a brief cameo in this film as a political commentator on a TV talk show.
  • Director Masaaki Tezuka makes a brief cameo in the film's post-credits scene, as a scientist in a repository of giant monsters' DNA. Producer Shogo Tomiyama also makes a cameo in the film as a refugee.
  • Manga artist Kentaro Yabuki, best known for the writing and illustrating the manga series Black Cat, appears as an extra in this film.
  • Although Godzilla and Kamoebas are the only two names visible in the repository of giant monsters' DNA in the film's post-credits scene, the other canisters contain the DNA of Sanda, Gaira, Varan, Ganimes, Ebirah, and two original-yet-unseen monsters dubbed Tezuka and Futami,[3] with the former's name referencing director Masaaki Tezuka.[citation needed]

External links

Notes

  1. The number on Kirishima is erroneously written as 147.

References

This is a list of references for Godzilla: Tokyo SOS. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. "List of Godzilla Movies". Nenda Ryuukou. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  2. 2.0 2.1 ゴジラ×モスラ×メカゴジラ 東京SOS|ゴジラ 東宝公式サイト (official Godzilla.jp page)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Godzilla: Tokyo SOS Super Complete Works. Shogakukan. 1 January 2004. p. 38. ISBN 978-4091014931.
  4. "Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (Fathom Event)". AMC Theaters. 30 January 2023.
  5. "Godzilla: Tokyo SOS". Cinemark. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. Amazon.com: Godzilla - Tokyo SOS (2004)
  7. Amazon.com: Godzilla Final Wars / Godzilla: Tokyo SOS - Set [Blu-ray]
  8. [1]

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